It is not so long ago when Belize’s current Prime Minister Dean Barrowwas reliant on Social Media to make people aware of alleged improprieties from the then Sa’id Mussa regime of Belmopan, the rest of the Caribbean largely ignored the civil unrest in Belize except for the Bajan Reporter.

Ms mottley has a deliberate habit of quoting either calypso or reggae tunes rather than use far-flung references like James Joyce or old Romans like Cicero when relating to her audiences no matter what strata of society she speaks to...

Last year when the former Leader of the Opposition, Mia Mottley, was barely getting any coverage on CBC News TV8, it was via Facebook & Youtubewhich allowed alternative views being exposed to Barbadians via the Internet when the Democratic Labour Party Government denied equal access to Ms Mottley’s powerful and increasingly successful meetings, where she questioned contracts agreed on between Jada Construction and ruling DLP Housing Minister Michael Lashley.

Nevertheless, it is noted that the BLP when in power itself had similar debacles with CBC News management of which I witnessed many, and even was nearly victim to, during my tenure with the sole State-owned Media Monopoly… However, as the aphorism repeatedly points out – two wrongs do NOT, etc.

More recently, in a non-political setting, there was a situation in this island where members of the Royal Barbados Police Force were tracking suspicious activities in Deacons, St Michael and via Facebook and Barbados Underground, claims were made that not everyone was guilty and there were a few innocent bystanders. Bajan Reporter already carried the Police’s statement on the incident.

What is intriguing is the comment which appeared on Facebook has now reached the Bajan Reporter, it was conveyed by another popular tool in Social Media which allows for safely exposing questionable elements without endangering either self or family which is the service of pan-global remailers which issue communiqués from one part of the planet while claiming to be from another, it also removes the requirement of using a real e-mail address and run the chance of exposing one’s true persona.

This remailing service indicates it was shipped through many European territories before finding its way back to the Caribbean, in our transmitting the following pictures and words, we are not judging as to guilt or innocence on either side, nor are we trying to champion any cause. It is a matter which the Mainstream Media appears to be avoiding, and so we are allowing any Barbadians who may be aware of any further details to either come forward via methods outlined here or to freely express their concern as a show of true democracy.

In airing this concern, it is also a demand for legislation to be devised, implemented and enforced concerning the rights of expression for all Bajans via Integrity, Transparency and Accountability as the Alan Moore graphic novel continuously reminded those turning the pages on the popular literature – “WHO WATCHES THE WATCHMEN?”

Here is the counter-claim of what happened last weekend in The Farm, Deacons, St Michael {ATTN: THIS IS NOT A GLORIFICATION OF ANY ALLEGED PERPETRATORS NOR IS IT A COMMENTARY ON BARBADIAN LAW ENFORCEMENT, THE FOLLOWING COMMENTARY DOES NOT EITHER NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE POLICE NOR THIS WEBSITE, The Bajan Reporter};-

MAVIS CARTER; SAD BARBADIAN WOMAN!

I’m writing this post with a true sense of pure disgust and at this present moment, it pains me to be called a Barbadian.

Whilst everyone seems so concerned with the social decay of this society… pointing all fingers at the youth etc, one major problem continues to be swept under the carpet…

POLICE BRUTALITY

I am woman in my late 40’s and I witnessed something last Saturday while leaving the Shell Gas Station at the top of Deacons.

In what I believe, and only now understand to be part of the ongoing raids by police…an effort which I commend by the way, I literally saw an old man and two young girls being man-handled and brutalised by what looked to me like a mature officer on duty.

These two girls were beaten and dragged across the street and immediately after, the said police broke a bottle and started to point in the direction of the girl he was dragging.

WILL NOTHING COME OUT OF THIS? BARBADOS, WAKE UP!

To be absolutely honest, until today, this has only been a story I told my husband and my son…but when I saw the story relating to what I saw in today’s paper it was with total awe and disgust in my gut that I realised those two girls are Nation photographers Sandy and Cherie Pitt.

It baffles me why this issue has not gone any further only to find that they have been apparently charged, released on bail for assaulting this police officer – who until now, I was wondering if he had any mother, daughter, sister or even a female friend for Christ’s sake.

The old man was struck in the head by another officer and then ignored. The ambulance eventually tended to his wound.

YES… Police have a job to do but at the same time… in 2011, the basic and simplest of human rights of our citizens cannot be continuously violated… in a country that prides itself as being developed.

The only thing developing in this country is a nasty, arrogant and senseless attitude by the Royal Barbados Police Force and the ‘Justice‘ System that supports their inhumane behaviour.

The same Nation should have interviewed their workers to get a first hand view of what transpired because what I saw was total abuse of power and disrespect for their rights.

The old man should also press charges and seek true justice.

STAND UP… Don’t sit back and wait for sympathy when these patriots of brutality come knocking, sorry – they don’t even knock… Kick down your front door.

I am hoping that this post will inspire anyone who reads it to stand up for our rights and to those offended and humiliated on Saturday… STAND UP!

If not for Facebook and Social Media of Barbados which allow the average citizen to speak out, this alternative word about Deacons may never have reached anywhere at all… Similarly, as you read this item the Internet is shut down in Cairo (like Burma’s Military Junta, when they killed Buddhist monks close to two years ago and held Opposition Leader Aung San Suu Kyi for house arrest for decades – again, only bloggers made the rest of the world know), while Yemen & Tunisia are under massive upheavals over how their Governments conduct themselves…

Perhaps what is worse is the case of Puerto Rico where Police use pepper-spray on students and are arresting journalists and bloggers; which both American & British media are ignoring – the UK as they have no interests in San Juan, while USA see PR as theirs and have no wish for the rest of the planet to be aware of the Dirty Laundry on their own doorstep. Again, were it not for Facebook or Youtube? This revolution from University students may definitely not have been televised!

3 Responses

I can’t believe how the police in Barbados brutalise human beings and after they arrest people and turn around the story. Saturday jan 22 around 430 when the police just got to Deacons rd…

I happened to be passing when I witnessed the beating of sandy and cherie pitt from a POLICE officer unmercifully. I had to ask myself do they have mothers, sisters or children , I could not believe it when I saw how bad he unfaired these two girls and BEAT them like they were hardened criminals. The officer pushed cherie pitt for absolutely no reason then she told her sister to get his badge number and when she said so he locked off her neck and throw her to the ground and gun butt her and when sandy came to get his number he hit Sandy in her head so hard with that BIG GUN she fell to the ground in pain and the gun dropped from him the same time .He then dragged Cherie on her knees across the road can u believe a man could actually do this to a woman in front of other people and children.

This incident made me cry cause I honestly felt for them. I think we Barbadians need to speak out about this incident and all those who saw what happened on saturday should speak out this is not fair. POLICE BRUTALITY needs to come to an end. Now these girls got charged wrongfully .

I beg u Barbadians please come forward and speak about what u saw the same way I did it is unfair.Women come out too because no man should be allowed to beat women so and get away with it

Yes, and I don’t see anything wrong with the connotation of rebel – USA were terrorists and rebels for the UK in 1776, Nelson Mandela is one of the most famous rebels in the world and even in fiction Luke Skywalker, Han Solo & Leia Organa began as rebels! I live for revolution, I am the eternal rebel and I see no shame in using such a name!